Before: The Big Four
by ZeeLinn
Summary: Prologue snippets of each of the Big Four, before they entered Hogwarts. The Boy of Winter, the Sun's Daughter, the Brave at Heart and the Dragon Tamer.
1. The Boy of Winter

**A/N: This is a prologue of sorts to a fic I'm currently writing and plotting. I have the first chapter of that fic done, but I won't be posting it till I finish chapter 3. In the mean time, enjoy the prologues; I enjoyed plotting out all the character's background (well, almost all) and tying up all the plot holes properly. I have prologue #2 written already, and am in the midst of finishing prologue #3. This is my first time writing a story. I am very thankful for all 3 of my beta readers, who are also my close friends, for helping me make sure there were no mistakes and helping make sure everything makes sense. Any mistakes are mine alone. this might turn out into a really monstrous fic as I have stuff up to year 7 planned. Oops.**

* * *

There once was a boy of winter, with hair like freshly fallen snow and eyes as blue as glaciers, and he emitted no body heat. But he did not start out like that. His story begins a little something like this, instead…

"Tell me 'nother Hogwarts story, dad!"

"Haha, alright, Jack, but this is the last one, aye? After this, you need to go to bed. One time, during my second year's Hallowe'en feast, I once accidentally found a tunnel out of school…"

Jackson Overland always enjoyed his father's tales about the world of wizards and witches. Theirs was a simple family; his father herded sheep, his mother tended to their livestock. Once every two weeks his father would head out to sell their livestock produce, and when he returns home, Jack would cling to his father's leg and demand a few stories about magic to make up for his father's absence. Simple as their household was, his father still liked to use magic to make his family's lives easier, if not just to entertain his only son, and amaze his beautiful, non-magic wife.

Jack's father could have been a great wizard, a powerful Auror, but he prefers to have a steadier life, to be near his family. After all, family was everything, right?

* * *

When Jack was five, his parents gave him a sister. But it was already bad times, for war and chaos has broken out a few years prior to his sister's birth. Capable wizards and witches were required to partake in the war against Kozmotiz Pitchiner, who was a powerful dark wizard, able to summon and control the legendary demon Mordu.

Jack's father was no exception to this requirement.

He was eventually enlisted into the war, to protect his family and to secure his children's future. Before he left, he made a tearful Jack promise him that he will always protect his sister, Pippa, while he was away. He made sure Jack always listens to his mother, and assures his son that his wife was always right. He promised both his son and his wife that he will return, and kisses his daughter goodbye.

Though he was a quiet man, he quickly rose amongst the main ranks of those directly fighting Pitch, and eventually, he faced off Pitch alone. He was, however, overpowered, but made the decision to sacrifice his life to seal Pitch away into the darkness. The war ended when Pitch and Mordu disappeared.

Jack never got to hear his dad's stories ever again, his mom never got her husband back, and Pippa never knew her father.

* * *

Jack inherited his father's shepherding staff. His father had shown him that it could substitute for a flying broom, and was an ancestor's heirloom, passed down from father to son. Often his father would take him flying, and Jack found he enjoyed being airborne more than being bound to the land. He did not discover that the staff could also be used as a wand until the day he accidentally banged it on the floor and snow started to fall… indoors. It was also the day he discovered he was magical, as well, and the day he first made his mother cry ever since the passing of her husband.

He vowed never to use the staff for magic ever again… except as a broomstick. Behind his mother's back.

For Jack could not give up flying.

* * *

On his 11th birthday, he received a letter from Hogwarts, and his excitement practically exploded from his pores.

Excitedly he fills in his 6 year old sister about the stories he has heard from his father, and how he will write to her about his adventures in the very same school. Pippa was reluctant to let her big brother go; Who else would fight off her monsters in the night? Who else would cheer her up with pranks and jokes? Jack's mother worries, for he grows more and more like his father every day, but she knows in her heart that, somehow, her son will be just fine.


	2. The Sun's Daughter

There once was a lost Princess who was the daughter of the Sun, with magical healing hair so bright and gold it could have been spun from the rays of the very star itself. Her story started a little something like this…

* * *

The Kingdom of Corona has always been blessed by the Sun, and it was rumoured that the people of Corona were the Sun's very own descendants.

Deep in the forests of Corona, it was said that the Sun had once cried for her children during a particularly tough famine, and a droplet of her tears fell to Corona's earth and healed the land. From that droplet, grew a rare, magical flower able to heal any and every ailment, except death.

A lady, known only as Mother Gothel, came across this flower and discovered its properties. For centuries she hogged its gifts to herself, hiding it from the world, using it to preserve her youth and beauty over time and prolong her life unnaturally. All she had to do, was sing a special song.

* * *

The Queen of Corona, Queen Primrose Solari, was having a difficult childbirth and started to grow ill. Her husband, King Thomas Solari, could not bear to see his wife in pain, and fears her death during the delivery; so he sets out with his people to scour his land for the rumoured magical flower.

Mother Gothel has grown careless and complacent throughout the years, as no one had managed to find the flower thus far besides her. Due to this, she forgot, one night, to set up the protective spells around the flower, and it was discovered by the King's search party.

Overjoyed, the King brought back the flower and fed it to his wife, who recovered from her illness and delivered a healthy baby girl with no side effects. However, the baby has a full head of golden hair, a trait the two monarchs did not have, as they had brown hair.

Regardless, the birth of the Princess Rapunzel was celebrated throughout the Kingdom of Corona as a sign of hope; she was claimed to be the daughter of the Sun, due to her beautiful golden hair and the magical circumstances of her birth. The King and Queen released a single, glowing lantern into the sky to mark the Princesses' first birthday.

Mother Gothel was furious at the loss of her flower. She could not go anywhere near Rapunzel, for she was with her mother and guarded at all times with protective magic. So she bided her time and waited for an opportunity to arise.

* * *

When Rapunzel was almost three, the war against Pitch began. Her father grew busier and busier, and was soon very much involved in the war as a defender. Her mother was up to her neck with work, as well, as the Head Healer of the Corona Hospital.

Amidst the chaos and hectic situation in the hospital, for just a short moment, Rapunzel was left unguarded. Her mother had left the room briefly to attend to a frantic nurse in need of advice. That was, unfortunately, all the time Mother Gothel needed with the child.

She snuck into the hospital room serving as Rapunzel's temporary nursery, and tried to steal a lock of Rapunzel's hair. To her dismay, once the hair was cut, it quickly loses its magical qualities. Not one to give up on her only source of eternal youth, she kidnapped the child right under everybody's nose, and hid Rapunzel away in a door-less tower where no one would find her.

The kingdom came to grieve for the kidnapped Princess. Every year on Rapunzel's birthday, they would release thousands and thousands of lanterns, the very ones that the King and Queen had set up for her first birthday, in hopes that it will call their beloved Princess back home.

* * *

When Rapunzel grew older, her hair grew longer, and Mother Gothel refused to let her cut it for fear of losing its magical properties.

As she grew older, her voice grew sweeter, and Mother Gothel let her sing her special lullaby.

As she grew older, her curiousity grew stronger, and Mother Gothel felt dread growing in the pits of her stomach; she began to anticipate the day Rapunzel asks about the lanterns in the sky on her birthday each year.

As she grew older, her other magical abilities started to appear, and Mother Gothel began to grow afraid of losing her precious flower forever.

* * *

On Rapunzel's 11th birthday, a letter came addressed to her, as was what comes for all 11 year old magical kids. Mother Gothel intercepted the letter, but more and more came, each determined to reach the child. Still, she did her best and hid them all from Rapunzel, making sure Rapunzel would never catch glimpse of the letters.

But one day, on one of Gothel's rounds outside the tower to get groceries, Rapunzel came across a tiny pocket under the stairs. To her surprise, bunches of letters were stuffed in it, and they were all addressed to her. Curiousity got a hold of her (Who would write her letters? How did it get under the stairs?), so she opened one and read its contents.

When Mother Gothel got back, it was already too late, and Rapunzel just finished reading the letter, excitement bubbling in her eyes.

* * *

"But Mother…"  
"I've said no, Rapunzel. You know why we stay up in this tower?"  
"Yes, but—"  
"That's right, to keep you safe and sound, dear. Now, pass the potatoes."

Rapunzel sulked. It's been 3 weeks since she read her letter from Hogwarts. Hers! Not anyone else! A school for magical kids couldn't be that dangerous, could it? And if she got a letter, didn't it mean she was qualified to attend in the first place? And yet… her mother was determined that she'd still encounter ruffians, and thugs, and poison ivy, and quicksand... Surely Hogwarts would not have such danger when kids are attending every year?

"But the letter—"  
"Most likely got the wrong Rapunzel."  
"It's addressed to a Rapunzel in the Tower! There are hundreds and hundreds of the same letters that ended up here, addressed to a Rapunzel in the Tower!_ Motherrrrr_," Rapunzel wheedled. "I don't ask for anything, Mother, but I want to attend this school."

Mother Gothel scowled. "That in itself is asking for a lot, Rapunzel." She snapped, crossing her arms. Rapunzel gave her best pout, and struggled to come up with a compromise. "If I go to Hogwarts, I promise I'll stop asking about the lights—I mean, the stars on my birthday?" She asked, her voice small. It was a sacrifice she could make; Rapunzel knows full well how it bugs her mother so whenever she talks about the lights every year.

Frowning, Gothel considered this. She supposed sending Rapunzel off to Hogwarts would mean moving Rapunzel further away from Corona's borders, but at the same time… She did not want to expose Rapunzel to the world. But, she could always keep an eye on her flower another way…

"Very well. But on the condition that I shall be your teacher. At Hogwarts. Where I can keep an eye on you at all times, so you will never get into trouble."

There was a resounding squeal of happiness from the little girl, who lunged into a tackle hug around Gothel's waist. Rapunzel did not think about her mother watching her at all times, or the embarrassment of having a parent as your teacher; she was too excited about Hogwarts. Away from the tower! Out into the world!

She couldn't wait!


	3. The Brave at Heart and the Dragon Tamer

There once was a Princess with fiery red hair, and a personality to match its unruliness. She was best friends with the Dragon Tamer, who ironically once used to be afraid of dragons. Their stories have already been intertwined for a little longer than the rest of the big four's.

* * *

When Princess Merida was five, her father thought it best to teach his daughter how to start defending herself even without magic. War was here, and it has touched every corner of the land, and its chaos has just started infesting DunBroch. There has been a few sightings of Mor'du, the demon bear, after centuries of his banishment and disappearance.

After a session on the outskirt of the woods surrounding the castle of DunBroch, King Fergus and Queen Elinor accidentally took their eyes off of their daughter for a few minutes to talk to a harried looking scout.

Little Merida spotted a blue glow at the corner of her eyes, and turned to the forest. To her surprise, she spots little blue fiery wisps, leading a trail into the forest. As if in a trance, she followed the spirits, step by step into the darkness of the forest.

The wisps lead the young Princess to a circle of tall, imposing stones, and then abruptly disappeared, leaving her in the gloom on her own.

It wasn't until a shrill scream from Merida that her parents realized she was gone from their sides.

As they rushed into the forest to the source of Merida's screams, they could see a large, demonic black bear, tearing at a large, broken stump. Merida succeeded in avoiding the reach of Mor'du, but she can only hide in the stump for so long.

Luckily for her, her father rushed to her rescue, attacking Mor'du to distract him from his target, allowing Merida time to scramble out of her damaged hiding spot and into the safety of her mother's arms, who whisked Merida away on her horse.

That day, King Fergus lost a leg and gained a story he could tell for years to come. That day, Merida made a promise to herself that she would never again be a burden to anyone. Never again, would there be a need for someone else dear to her to come charging in and saving her at their life's risk.

* * *

Day by day, Merida grew better and better at bows and arrows. She was quite good at sword fights, too. Her requests for self-defense lessons in between her History lessons only delighted her father, who much preferred sparring than giving lectures about old, doddery kings of past.

Queen Elinor despaired at Merida's hobbies, and her preference for horseback riding and archery. The legend of Mor'du was one that has been tightly intertwined with the DunBroch clan's history, as far back as was recorded. It was said that Mor'du was once a human prince himself, the eldest of four. He coveted the throne, and as the heir apparent, he was confident he would rule after his father. His father, the king, was beloved by his people and he loved his subjects deeply. He could tell that his son was not fit to rule the entire kingdom, for Mor'du was arrogant and violent; far too bloodthirsty to make a good ruler.

Instead of passing his throne to just one son, the king, on his deathbed, made a decision to split the kingdom in four, and gave all his sons a chance to rule. Mor'du was furious at the thought of sharing with his brothers, and overcome by greed, he declared war on the other three princes. While Mor'du commanded a more powerful army, the battle remained a bitter stalemate.

Wanting desperately to end the battle and emerge the victor, Mor'du hunted for a spell, a potion, anything to make him stronger. He summoned for the best potioneers of the land, and ordered for a concoction that would give him the strength of ten men. The potioneers warned him of the possible side effects of such a powerful, cursed concoction, but his pride made him desperate. He downed the potion in one go, and while it did give him the strength of ten, it had a side effect: The potion turned him into a bear.

It was said that Mor'du could have reversed the curse if he would mend the bond with his siblings that was torn by pride, but he had refused and chose the form of the demon bear. He slew his brothers and their armies in cold blood, and tried to return to his army… but they only saw a ferocious animal and attacked. Angry, he slew them all as well, and what remains of the kingdom evacuated in fear and terror.

The legend says that Mor'du hunts for those who have the qualities the king of old had required: bravery, loyalty, daring and chivalry; a person who embodies the spirit of a true Gryffindor.

The reason why Queen Elinor despairs for her only daughter is because Merida exhibits all the traits, and has already been attacked by Mor'du once. She fears Merida has been marked as a target.

* * *

When Hiccup was four, he was forced to bear witness to his mother's death.

The Isle of Berk was famous for its variety of dragon inhabitants, more so than Romania. The people who lived there descended from a mix of Vikings and wizards, and both muggle and magical folk have just recently learned to co-exist with the dragons. Berk is home to a new dragon handling facility and a large count of dragon handlers, despite its laidback-ness and less-than-modern technology. Hiccup's mother was one of the many handlers, and had an incredible knowledge of the dragons.

Berk was not excluded from the reach of the war that broke out against Pitch and his Fearlings. Pitch had sought to spread chaos and fear, and what better way than to cause a dragon outrage? Pitch's Fearling army attacked Berk Isle, startling the volatile dragons and killing some of the dragon handlers. The attack sparked large scale confusion and sent the dragons into frenzy; they trampled everyone and everything, set fire to the village and destroyed what seems to be half the island.

Unfortunately for Hiccup and his mother, they were right at the facility when the attack happened. His mother was explaining to Gobber how to tell apart Zippleback heads: which head spewed gas, and which head sparks it. Hiccup was there because his father, the Chief of Berk Isle, was busy with his daily duties.

The Fearlings caught the entire facility by surprise. They nipped at the dragons and destroyed several nesting mother's eggs, broke the locks of several dragon pens and killed the handlers they encountered.

Hiccup's mother stood just a tad too near the Deadly Nadder whose nest and pen was destroyed; she was caught in the trajectory of the Nadder's tail spikes.

When Gobber brought Hiccup's father, Stoick, to the scene, it was already far too late to save her. As she lay in a steadily growing pool of blood, she managed to pass on a last message to a terrified and distraught Hiccup in her dying breath.

_"Do not blame the dragons, Hic."_

* * *

Ever since the fateful day at the facility, Hiccup had been terrified of dragons. He couldn't remember everything, but he remembered his mother's words… and the dragon that had shot its spikes at her. It was hard not to blame the dragon for the death of his mother, despite her message.

After the war had ended, Berk was never the same again. Too much death and destruction on both the humans and dragon's ends, and grudges weren't easy to let go of. Dragons began attacking the village for food, and humans, now deprived of their dragon handlers, fended off the dragons in the only way they remember how: by killing them.

They were descended from Vikings and wizards. They had the weapons and magic, the means to stun and kill or deter the dragons from attacking. They were built for this.

But Stoick worries for his son. Hiccup does not seem to have the Viking built, and was scrawnier than all the other kids. Stoick also knows that all magical kids' exhibit signs of their magic around the age of five to six, but Hiccup hasn't shown a single sign thus far; he is almost eight years old. Not a single magical accident. No floating, no unexplained explosions, nothing.

If Hiccup was too scrawny to lift a weapon, too terrified of dragons to even face them, and had no magical abilities… Stoick worries for his son, as he does not want his son to be called useless.

God knows the boy is bright and quick witted. But it was not enough. Berk wasn't a place for the smart and clever anymore, not since they changed the handler's facility back into a killing arena. Berk required the heroic and the strong (much more so was expected from the chief's son). In his worrying for Hiccup's future, he set Hiccup as Gobber's blacksmithing apprentice when Gobber was home from his job at Hogwarts.

Stoick worries. But all Hiccup sees is disappointment.

* * *

Stoick never stops trying to rid his son's fear of dragons, though.

His attempts to rid Hiccup's fears by giving his son the notes his wife had written (the ones that he could recover from the disastrous night, anyways) got the most promising results thus far (Attempt #1: Tossing Hiccup in front of an angry, flame covered dragon is not the best way to get rid of dragon phobia. Attempt #2: Handing Hiccup a hatchet that he can't lift doesn't solve Attempt #1's problem. In fact, Attempt #1 should never be tried ever again.)

He also tries to bring Hiccup along whenever he is called to handle dragon infestations outside of the island; Berk is still one of the few places whose population handles dragon attacks daily without much casualty.

When there was a request from the royal family of DunBroch regarding a growing infestation of Terrible Terrors, Stoick brought Hiccup along with him. It wasn't Stoick's first time in DunBroch; he and Fergus were good friends, and had met each other years back when they were younger. Stoick knew that the DunBroch family had a daughter, just a year younger than his son. He also knew that Merida was headstrong and independent, qualities he hoped his shy son would develop. So he brought Hiccup along in hopes they would be friends.

Hiccup tries his best to live up to his father's expectations.

* * *

Merida didn't seem to like Hiccup from the get go. She poked at him, teased him for his scrawniness, and pranked him almost constantly throughout their stay in DunBroch. Hiccup endured everything she threw at him with much patience and silence, which bored Merida and surprised Elinor; she did not think anyone would have the patience for Merida's antics.

On the second to last day of their stay, in which Stoick was almost done ridding DunBroch of the Terrors, Hiccup and Merida were found a little outside the castle grounds; Hiccup was fiddling with metal scraps and Merida was practicing shooting her arrows into the forest out of boredom, as she was restricted from venturing too far from the grounds while the dragons were still running amok. Her only playmate was Hiccup, but he didn't spar. He doesn't know how to ride a pony, let alone a horse. She has already challenged him to several races, to which she won all of them.

She was about to round on Hiccup after her last arrow, intending to drag him with her to go terrify Maudie for some pastries, when there was an inhuman shriek of pain. A large, colourful dragon trundled out of the forest, screeching angrily. Merida freezes; she's never seen a Nadder before, for they were not commonly seen in DunBroch's regions. Also, her last arrow was buried in the hind leg of the angry dragon, rapidly heading her way.

Stoick, Fergus and Elinor came out just in time to see Hiccup flinging something at the Nadder, distracting it from Merida's direction, shouting for Merida to run. Hiccup kept directly in front of the Nadder's nose, carefully (or more likely, fearfully) staying in its blind spot, while Merida scrambled away to collect her other arrows.

Just as the Nadder began to emit a noise like a rattlesnake, Stoick barreled into the dragon, giving it no time to react. Hiccup got out of the way as fast as he could so his father could do what he does best, and ran towards Merida's direction, hoping to help her collect her arrows in case they would need them. But Stoick was quick and efficient; he took down the Nadder by the time Hiccup and Merida finished.

From that day on Merida stopped teasing Hiccup, for he had saved her life. Hiccup got over his fear of dragons just a smidge more (it's not that easy to let go) and was thankful for his mother's notes. Stoick was proud of his son's quick thinking.

It is not to say that they instantly became fast friends on that day itself (they do eventually end up being best friends, though), but Merida began opening up to Hiccup and asking him about dragons whenever he visits, and he began taking a keener interest in the notes his mother has written in order to answer her.

But there definitely was a bond between them now that wasn't there before. Whenever they visit each other, Merida will always drag Hiccup away on 'adventures', and Hiccup would always help fix her bows and upgrade her arrows.

* * *

On Hiccup's 11th birthday, an owl arrived for him with a letter from Hogwarts, much to everyone's surprise. He still has not exhibited a single sign of magical ability, so it had everyone befuddled, including Merida. Hiccup was almost convinced that the letter had gotten it wrong…

… Until he accidentally set Gobber's mustache on fire during dinner. They weren't even anywhere near the fire!

* * *

The DunBroch family line were all proud Gryffindors, all except Elinor, who married into the clan and was from Beauxbatons Academy. Fergus had met Elinor during one of the Triwizard Tournaments held at Durmstrang. Both were not chosen as their respective school's champion, but that meant they were given time to mingle with each other.

On Merida's 11th birthday, she received two letters: one from Hogwarts, and another from Beauxbatons. Both claimed her to be accepted to their school.

For a few weeks, Merida campaigned to attend Hogwarts while Elinor tried to convince her tomboyish daughter to go to Beauxbatons, as it was a school 'befit for a princess'. Elinor had tried her best to stamp her daughter's boyish tendencies, her fear for the safety of her daughter from the Mor'du legend playing a huge part in her decision, but Merida had none of it. Sure, she endured her mother's princess etiquette lessons, but she always remained true to herself. Merida still continued her self-defense lessons from her father.

What swayed Elinor's decision, in the end, was when Merida pulled the best friend card: She complained up and down about how Hiccup could be bullied at Hogwarts, because he would be attending, too. Who would protect her best friend? Hiccup needed her!

Elinor conceded to Merida's choice, but it wasn't just because she thought Hiccup needed a bully deterrent. She felt that Hiccup balanced Merida nicely; he thinks things through rationally, while Merida reacts and leaps into dangerous situations headfirst. The boy was responsible where Merida isn't. He was good for her. The fact that they were both each other's only friends helped, too.

She didn't tell Merida verbally, though. The week before she was to send back a decision by owl post, Merida woke up to a brand new set of the Hogwarts uniform hanging on her bedroom door.

She then proceeded to wake the entire castle with her screeches of joy, and hastily wrote a letter to Hiccup, telling him to meet her at King's Cross station on the 1st of September.

They were gonna have so many adventures, she could just _feel_ it!

* * *

A/N: And that wraps up the prologues and is the official start of the whole series! :) Chapter 1 is completed and already beta'd. I just need to get my ass to finish up Chapter 2 and 3 before I release it.


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